To escape-as the Oxford dictionary defines it-is to break free from confinement, or to succeed in avoiding or eluding something dangerous or unpleasant, and it seems that this has been our generation’s trend lately..
The past few years have been generous to many of us, those who were searching for the perfect escape, for the sanctuary, for the place that can embrace us while we try to heal from the scars of the daily life in the crowded city, and we found it. We found Dahab and Nuweiba and Ras Shetan; we found Siwa and Dakhla and many more; we found peace.
“Many people advised me to face reality and live in the real world, that escaping is not an option, and the earlier I face it, the easier my life would be. Iย chose to do both: face the daily strenuousย fake life, but still have my exclusive getaway as a treat, my short trip to my Neverland where Iย leave everything behind an enchanted invisible gate and live in the desiredย state ofย my mind. As the uglyย reality bites, I saved me the last piece of cake.” – Khaledย Hossam, Drummer.
“What would you like to be when you grow up?” is a question we were often asked growing up; it made us believe that our future is only bound by our imagination. We will be whatever we want to be; we only have to choose. As we grew older we found out that life is muchย more complicated than that; itย never gives you all you wished for and even when it does, it’s never what you had truly imagined. There are always those who choose to give up, each in his own way; either quitย their jobs, abandonย their families or fleeย the whole country. And there are those who choose to stay and fight, and in order not to give up,ย we have to escape to places where we can heal, where weย retreatย from the world and all its pressures and become ourselves once more..
Of the many reasons why we escape from time to time, is not only to heal and then go back to doing whatever we were doing, but sometimes in the process of finding the perfect job and the perfect conditions, we tend to lose ourselves. This is when we should stop, take a step back, and decide what ย we really wantย in life.
“I usually escape because I still can’tย find my place in the world; I can’t find the environmentย that suits me, and will keep searching till I do,” –ย Magdy, Faculty of Commerce student, works as a freelance interior designer and aย waiterย in a coffee shop.
The lack of diversity in the city makes it difficult to see something new, which consequently makes it challengingย to be creative and thinkย out of the box.
“I escape becauseย there is no diversity in the city. In big cities, you usually have to live by certain standards, or be parts of certain social groups. In my retreats, no one cares who you are or what you do for a living; you’re just whatever you want to be; you don’t have to fake anything or act like you care about stuff you couldn’t care less about,” – Mohamed Fadl, an electrical engineer and aย psychology student.
There is something about the desert, the mountains and the sea that makes your soul happy. You canย never get the feeling that you have had enough; you just have to return from time to time to reboot your body and soul.
